Stalked by a Killer
by The Chuckinator
Summary: A serial killer is running loose in Station Square, and is just beginning his work. When Sonic gets a call from him, he is targeted by the killer, along with his friends, and is thrown into a sick game the killer has come up with. Now Sonic and his friends must try to stay safe before they are killed one by one..but little do they know that the serial killer is someone they know.
1. Sonic's Confession

Stalked by a Killer

By Fangs of Lightning and The Chuckinator

Chapter 1: Sonic's Confession

Sonic sighed again as he was once again dragged down the hall of the mall. Amy had her arm tightly wrapped around his, looking around for the next store to drag her unwilling companion into.

"Amy, what are we doing here?" He asked, clearly annoyed.

"Shopping, of course. You said you'd spend some time with me."

"I didn't mean..."

Sonic sighed. When was Amy going to take the hint that he didn't like her at all?

Amy looked at Sonic, a small frown coming to her face. "Didn't mean what?"

"Never mind."

Amy looked around again with a sigh of her own. "We don't have to be here if you don't want to."

Sonic nodded. He looked around and saw Shadow. A smile came to his face and he ran up to the other person. Shadow turned when he heard someone approaching, confused to see Sonic. "Sonic? What do you want?"

"I just wanted to get away from Amy. So, how are you?"

"I'm fine. You?"

Sonic smiled. "Good."

Shadow nodded. "So, you came here with Amy... You lose a bet or something?"

Sonic shrugged. "She just came to my house and dragged me out here. I didn't have much of a choice."

"Probably thought you had another date." Shadow chuckled. "Sometimes I swear that woman's got more issues than me."

"I don't even like her, Shads. She's an annoying stalker."

"I know that."

Sonic smiled. He looked around but didn't see Amy. Sighing, he turned back to Shadow.

"Want to leave?" Shadow asked. "We could find something else to do."

"Sure," Sonic said, and walked off with Shadow. "What did you have in mind?"

Shadow shrugged. "Anything really. It's better than being at the mall."

Sonic chuckled and nodded. "We could go for a run."

Shadow smiled; that was what he was thinking too. "Where to?" he asked. The hedgehogs left the front door of the mall.

"Maybe to Mystic Ruins."

"Sounds all right to me." Shadow looked around to refresh his memory on which way the Mystic Ruins were.

Sonic smiled. "Follow me."

Shadow smiled as well and followed him. They eventually reached the Mystic Ruins. The both of them looked around the area.

"Have you ever been here?" Sonic asked.

"Not recently." Sonic nodded and they walked around the forest. "Has anything interesting happened with you?" Shadow asked.

"Not really. What about you?" Sonic asked.

"Nothing's really happened to me, either."

"Want to come over and hang out for a while?"

Shadow looked over at him in surprise. "Sure."

Sonic smiled and nodded, then ran off. Shadow sighed and followed him. When they got to his house, Shadow looked at Sonic. "Why have you taken a sudden interest in me, Sonic?"

"Hm?" Sonic looked over at Shadow. "I haven't taken a sudden interest in you."

Shadow chuckled. "Don't lie; I can see you blushing. What's going on?"

Sonic gulped and looked away. "I'm hungry. You want anything?" Sonic was nervous; he hadn't expected Shadow to ask him something like that so suddenly. He wasn't quite prepared to say anything about it yet.

"Sure," Shadow said, wondering why Sonic changed the subject. Did Sonic...like him?

Sonic gave him a smile and went into the kitchen. Looking around his fridge, he tried to decide what would suit this occasion. "What would you like?" he yelled.

"Chili dogs," Shadow said.

Sonic chuckled and brought some out, giving them to Shadow. "I never knew you liked chili dogs."

"I do, but not as much as you."

Sonic smiled and sat down. "Guess I'll just have a few too."

Shadow nodded and they ate in silence. A few minutes later, the telephone rang. Sonic sighed and picked it up. Shadow nodded and they ate in silence. A few minutes later, the telephone rang. Sonic sighed and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Sonic!" Amy yelled. "How could you leave me in the mall like that?"

The blue hedgehog sighed in annoyance. "Amy...I saw Shadow and wanted to hang out with him for a while. He is my friend too."

"Well...that's true...but you could've said something to me!"

"Look, Amy...to tell you the truth, I don't like you. You're very annoying, always take me on dates we've never agreed on, and always act like you and I are in love! I don't love you, Amy, and I don't know why you always think that!"

Amy was silent for longer than a few seconds, though Sonic swore he could hear her whimper. "I...I understand..."

The line at her end hung up, and Sonic sighed. He hung up as well and looked at Shadow.

"What did she say?" Shadow asked.

"She asked why I left her."

"I guessed that much. What did she say after you explained?" Shadow paused. "Unless I'm putting my nose where it doesn't belong."

"She just told me that she understood and then hung up," Sonic said.

Shadow shook his head. "Do you think she'll leave you alone?"

"Most likely she will," Sonic said, looking at Shadow and blushing again.

Shadow smirked when he noticed. "You're blushing again."

Sonic hesitated and looked away. "Sorry...I..."

"Sonic...if there is something that you want to tell me, go ahead."

Sonic swallowed. This was a lot harder than he thought it would be. "I...have feelings for you..."

Shadow's eyes widened. "You do?" The blue hedgehog nodded. Shadow continued staring at him with wide eyes. He wasn't sure what to say to Sonic. "I...I see..." The other hedgehog turned away. "I'm afraid I can't say the same."

Sonic immediately felt his emotions fall. "Oh. Well, that's all right. "

Tears came to his eyes and he hesitated, then walked out of the room. Shadow looked back at him. He may not have fallen in love with the other, but he still cared about him.

"Sonic," he said. "Do you want to talk at all?" The blue hedgehog said nothing, and Shadow heard crying. He frowned. "Sonic?" Shadow went in the direction Sonic had gone.

He ran into the living room and saw Sonic sitting on the couch, crying. He looked at Shadow.

"Why don't you love me back?" Sonic asked.

"I don't know, Sonic." Shadow sighed and sat next to him. "I care about you, but it just never developed into anything more."

Sonic hesitated and turned away. Who else could he love now? He didn't love Amy, that was for sure. Shadow looked over at Sonic and sighed again. He wasn't good at cheering people up.

"I...I thought you would," Sonic told him.

"Why? If I gave the impression that I did, I'm sorry."

Sonic hesitated. He stood up, shaking his head, and walked up to his room. Shadow sighed and thought about what Sonic had said. Why would Sonic think he would fall in love with him? No matter how hard he thought it over, he couldn't figure it out. Shadow groaned; if he had known about this, then he wouldn't have hurt Sonic's feelings by rejecting him. Sighing, he walked out of the house and closed the door behind him.

Sonic jumped when he heard the door slam and walked out of his room. "Shadow?" He asked, looking around. There was no one there. "He...he left me," Sonic stuttered to himself. Tears fell down his face and he went into his room, sobbing.


	2. The Call

Chapter 2: The Call

That night, Sonic was flipping through the channels and heard something that caught his interest. His eyes widened in shock as there was a serial killer on the loose, here in Station Square! The hedgehog gulped nervously. Looking at the windows, Sonic felt himself start panicking.

Suddenly the phone rang, and he answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Sonic."

"What...who is this?" He asked.

"Someone with some problems with you and your friends," the voice said.

Sonic growled. "You're that serial killer, aren't you? What the hell do you want?"

Rather than an answer, Sonic only heard laughter before the other end was hung up. Sonic hesitated, and then called Shadow.

After a few rings, he heard Shadow's voice. "Shadow here. What is it?"

"Shads, it's me. Did you hear about the serial killer in the news?"

"Yeah, I did. What about him?"

"He called me and said that he is going to target me and my friends."

"There wasn't anything hinting at who he could be, was there?"

Sonic shook his head. "No, there wasn't. What should we do?"

"I don't know what we can do. If he's going to target your friends, I suppose we could tell them to be careful."

"Shadow...you're one of my friends also...what if he targets..."

"I'll be fine. I can handle myself."

Sonic sighed and nodded. "All right. Look...about earlier today..."

"I'm listening."

"I...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

Shadow was silent for a moment, knowing he had hurt Sonic's feelings earlier. "I'm sorry I upset you earlier, Sonic. Do you want to talk about it now?"

"I suppose. You know...when you...rejected me, it hurt my feelings. And...why did you suddenly leave? I came out of my room to talk to you some more but you weren't there, which...well, that got me even more upset."

"I didn't think you were going to come back out of your room."

Sonic frowned. "Oh...okay..."

"I'm sorry Sonic. I feel bad about rejecting you like that. I didn't know what to say to you."

"It...it's...fine."

Shadow could hear Sonic's voice crack and knew he was about to cry. Maybe he should come over and comfort him. "I'll be over in a few minutes, okay?"

Sonic nodded and hung up. A few minutes later, the doorbell ran and Sonic opened it to see Shadow, who walked inside.

"We can talk now." Shadow gave him a smile.

"Thanks for coming over," Sonic told him and sat down. "Is there anything you want to say?"

"I wanted to ask what you meant earlier."

"About what? Me telling you my feelings?"

"After I told you that my feelings had never developed into anything more. I still can't understand what you said."

Sonic sighed. "I thought you liked me back because...well...you and I are pretty close friends. We do a lot together, and I thought that...I just...thought that you were developing feelings for me as well." He looked away.

Shadow nodded. That made sense. "You're one of the people I care about the most in this world, and if that looked like love..." Shadow didn't know what to say past that.

The blue hedgehog sighed. Then he went up to Shadow and kissed him. Shadow was surprised but didn't reject the kiss. Sonic broke it and turned away again. "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have done that."

"No, it's fine." Sonic nodded, hoping for a kiss back. Shadow smiled and changed the subject. "So...what did the killer say?"

"When?" Sonic pouted, but went with it.

"When he called...what did he say to you?"

"All he told me was that he's got some problems with me and my friends."

Shadow frowned and looked at Sonic.

"Problems? Who has he killed so far? Anyone you know?" Sonic shook his head. He hadn't heard about the killer until tonight. Shadow thought about it. "Do you know anyone that doesn't like you?"

"Besides Eggman, not really. But Eggman wouldn't do this."

"I'm sure the police will catch him," Shadow said. "Hopefully before he kills anyone else."

Sonic nodded and smiled. "Let's hope so," he said. "I don't feel safe with a serial killer on the loose."

The other hedgehog hesitated; neither did he.

"I don't either. Are you going to be all right?"

"I can handle this."

Shadow nodded. "Anything else tonight?"

Sonic shook his head. "I'll just relax here at home."

"All right. Call if anything else happens."

The blue hedgehog nodded, and Shadow left. Sonic sighed, then yawned and went to sleep in his room.


	3. The Killer's First Victim

Chapter 3: The Killer's First Victim

Meanwhile, the serial killer was just deciding who to go after first. He looked around the city, thinking about it. Finally, he decided on Amy. That pink bitch would get what was coming. A smile came to his face and he went to find her. The serial killer chuckled and moved the the shadows, bringing out his knife. He saw the hedgehog and followed her. Amy was whistling while she walked, unaware of the man following her. Soon, she began to get a strange feeling and looked behind her. Gasping in shock, she took off into a run. The killer followed, eventually cornering her in a dark alley.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Amy asked, bringing out her hammer.

The killer looked at the hammer in slight worry. He didn't want her to hit him with that.

"I need you to help me with something," he told her.

"What is it?"

"I'd prefer not to talk to you out here. Could we go to your house to talk?"

Amy nodded and they left to her house. Once there, the killer chuckled and stabbed Amy in the back. Amy yelled out as the blade sank into her body, falling forward with the force of his stab. The killer laughed and stabbed her more. Amy yelled out again, blood pooling down her back from the stabs. The killer smirked and rolled Amy on to her stomach, cutting into her chest as blood poured from the wound.

"Why?" She asked weakly.

"It's fun." He smiled down at her, stroking the side of her face as his knife cut into her again.

Amy screamed in pain as blood dribbled down her face. He then beat her up and mutilated her before murdering her violently. Then the killer dragged her outside, hanging her dead body from the doorway. Stepping back, he nodded at his work. It was perfect. The others were bound to find out soon enough. Chuckling, he left a note and ran off.

Sonic and Shadow were both out a few hours later, and were going by Amy's house. Sonic stopped in his tracks when he saw Amy.

"My God..." Sonic said, a feeling of vomit rising up in his throat. "SHADOW! COME HERE!"

Shadow ran over, also stopping when he saw her. "Who could have..." He felt disgust rising the longer he looked at her. "I assume this is the work of the killer we heard about last night?"

"Most...most likely."

"I'll call the police."

Sonic nodded and watched Shadow. A few minutes later, the police were there and brought Amy's body down. Shadow and Sonic watched them do their job, still trying not to be sick. Once the police had left, the two hedgehogs rushed over to a trash can and vomited.

"That was disgusting," Shadow said. "Does he do that to everyone?"

"Let's hope not," Sonic said. "We need to warn our friends."

Shadow nodded. "Let's go."

Sonic nodded and they ran off. Eventually, they came to Tails' house and knocked on the door.

Tails soon answered, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Sonic? What is it?"

"There's a serial killer in Station Square. He killed Amy and is coming after us."

"I heard about him on the news." Tails nodded. "Are you sure he's coming after us?"

"He called me last night," Sonic said angrily.

"Why'd he call you?"

"I don't know. He told me that he has problems with me and my friend and is going to kill us."

"That's...strange. Can you think of anyone besides Eggman who would hate you so much?" The blue hedgehog shook his head. "Huh." Tails moved to the side. "You want to come in?"

They nodded and did so. Tails sighed and looked at them.

"What should we do?" Shadow asked.

"The police are on it, aren't they? We could leave it to them."

Shadow nodded, but Sonic wasn't convinced.

"Maybe we should try and help them," Sonic said.

"I agree," Shadow said. "If our lives are at stake, we must help the police at all costs."

"I'll tell them about the call," Sonic said. "I don't know how much help it'll be, but it's something. Come on, Tails."

Tails nodded and followed him. This was going to be hard.

"I'll let the others know." Shadow ran off to tell everyone else.


	4. A Note for Sonic

Chapter 4: A Note for Sonic  


Once Sonic and Tails were at the police station, they looked around for any policemen. They soon found them talking about the serial killer.

"We'll get him as soon as possible," one policeman told them.

"I think I may have something that would help," Sonic said.

Sonic pulled out a note left by the killer and they read it.

"To Sonic and Friends,

You are all caught up in a game now, and will go by my terms. I will kill one person a night unless one of you gives me what I want. You have until tonight to figure out my demand.

Sincerely, S."

"We don't even know who the killer is. How are we supposed to figure out what he wants?"

Tails thought about it. "Maybe he'll tell us what he wants."

Everyone looked at him. "What makes you say that?"

The fox looked at them and told them his reason. "Maybe he's trying to lure us into a false sense of security," Tails said. "While we're busy trying to figure out what he wants, he'll kill someone else. Probably all he wants is everyone dead."

Sonic nodded. "That makes sense. Do you think 'S' stands for serial killer?"

Tails shrugged. "Maybe. It could be his name, for all I know." Tails motioned to the police. "They're the experts."

"We'll take the note as evidence," one cop said. Sonic nodded and handed him the note, then walked back to the house.

Tails followed him back there, thinking over what had just happened. "What do you think we should do now?"

Sonic shrugged. "I'll go find Shadow. Wait here."

The fox nodded and watched Sonic leave. Sonic left the house and looked around the city. "Shadow!" he called out.

Shadow turned to him. "Learn anything interesting at the police station?"

Sonic shook his head. "Not really. The killer left a note, but it wasn't very helpful. Tails thinks it's a trick and he's going to keep killing people."

"Most likely that's his plan. We have to figure out who he will kill next."

Sonic nodded and sighed. "That'll be hard with us not knowing who he is."

Shadow sighed as well. "let's go home. It's getting late."

The blue hedgehog nodded and walked with Shadow to his house.

"Have you thought of anyone yet?" Shadow asked when they arrived.

"Not really," Sonic said. "He signed the note, S. Just a letter that could mean anything."

"The police have to have something more on him. Wasn't he on the news already? That must mean he's killed people before."

"Yeah, he was. We'll go there tomorrow. Meanwhile, I have to get some sleep. I'm pretty tired."

Shadow nodded; it was getting late. he smiled and headed home.

Sonic went into his house and to his room, falling into bed the moment he had undressed himself. Within minutes, he was asleep. That night, the serial killer was walking through the city, wondering who to kill next. A chuckle came from his lips and he smirked. Killing one of Sonic's friends would be nice.

"Which one first?" he asked himself. "Tails would upset him too quickly..." The killer tapped his own cheek with his knife as he thought.

Finally, he decided on Knuckles. The echidna would be a good target. Chuckling, he called Sonic.

"Hello?" Sonic asked.

"It's time to play, Sonic. Which one of your friends will die next?"

"I..." Sonic thought it over, unsure of how to answer. "Can't you give me a hint? I don't know the first thing about you!"

The killer chuckled. "Here's a hint: I want you and your friends to suffer the way I suffered. It is payback time, and I think I'll up the ante. If you want Knuckles the Echidna or any of your friends to live, you will do exactly as I say. You have one hour to find Knuckles before I kill him. If you don't...let's just say he'll go out with a bang. I'll be watching."

Sonic grit his teeth and growled as he heard the other hang up. The killer chuckled, and then walked off to find Knuckles. Sonic ran to find his friend as well, determined to save him from the killer.

Knuckles, meanwhile, was on Angel Island when he looked up and saw a shape in the distance.

"Who are you?" He asked fearfully. "Is that you, Sonic?"

A dark voice answered. "No, not him."

The killer moved fast and struck Knuckles with chloroform. His muffled screams did nothing, and he fell into unconsciousness.


	5. Knuckles' Demise

Chapter 5: Knuckles' Demise

When he woke, he was in the Mystic Ruins with a bomb strapped to his chest. The killer was sharpening the knife and looked at him. "Welcome back, Knuckles," he purred. The killer looked around the area. "I don't see Sonic... Maybe he truly doesn't care about you."

"Who the fuck are you?" Knuckles asked.

"I've got some problems to work out with Sonic. You're going to help me with that."

"If you think I'm going to help you, then you're sadly mistaken!"

The killer's eyes gleamed behind his mask. "You're already helping me." The killer checked to see how much time had passed. "It looks like Sonic is too late," he said, and looked at the bomb on Knuckles' chest.

Knuckles looked at the killer fearfully as he approached. The look was simply delightful to see. A smile came to his face as he walked over. The killer chuckled madly and cut Knuckles' face with the knife. Then he activated the bomb for two minutes and walked away. Knuckles kept yelling as the killer walked away, getting more desperate with each passing second. The killer had to admit; it was amusing to see Knuckles in such a state. He left the warehouse and closed the door behind him. A massive explosion could be heard a few minutes later.

The killer clapped his hands together and laughed. He chuckled and closed his eyes, then opened them again and walked off, wondering what Sonic was up to. Whatever he was doing, the killer assumed he wasn't happy. Sonic was never happy when a friend got hurt on his account. With a smile, he made his way to Sonic's house. Once he got there, he looked around. The killer didn't see Sonic. With a snort, he left the house. Sonic was probably still looking for Knuckles. Sonic got home minutes after the killer had left, walking inside with a defeated expression on his face. More than an hour had passed, and he hadn't found Knuckles. He sighed and flopped on the bed, exhausted.

The next day, Sonic woke to hear the phone ring. He picked it up and groggily replied, "Hello?"

Shadow was on the other end. "The serial killer struck again, just as he said he would."

"Where?"

"A warehouse. The police found it earlier this morning."

"I'll be right there."

Sonic hung up and left. Once he got to the warehouse, Tails was there. Sonic gasped at the ruined building and rushed inside.

"Knuckles?" He asked.

Everyone looked over at him. "How did you know who was killed?" one of the police asked.

"The...the killer called me last night. He told me that he was going after Knuckles."

"Did he tell you anything else that might help us catch him?"

Sonic shook his head. "Where is the body?"

"Scattered all over the place," the policeman said. "We're still checking the area."

"Scattered...what...what the hell do you mean?"

"We believe the bomb was on his body when it went off. Nothing else could have caused this amount of damage to him."

Sonic gulped and walked back to Shadow. "Fuck..." he said. "This person...he's fucked up, Shads."

Shadow nodded. "I almost can't believe someone did this."

"Who do you think he'll go after next?"

Shadow shrugged and walked away. A few minutes later, Tails walked up to Sonic.

"He left another note," the fox said.

Sonic looked at him. "What does it say?"

Tails read it. "You failed to show last night, Sonic, and another one of your friends has paid the price. I will kill again tomorrow. But tonight you will find something in your house that you have hid from your friends. Further information will be there. "

Sonic was confused. "Something I've hidden from my friends? How does he know about it?" Tails shrugged. "I guess I'll find out later." Sonic looked over at the police. "They probably want the note, huh."

He sighed and gave it to the police, then walked away. Shadow was waiting for Sonic at home. "Did they find anything helpful?"

"Just another note. The killer mentioned something that I kept from my friends. I know what he's talking about." He walked into his room and felt underneath the bed then pulled out his diary.

"He's going to put something in your diary? How does he even know about it?"

"I don't know," Sonic said. "This diary is kept secret for a reason. All of my darkest secrets are in here."

Shadow nodded and looked at the diary. Now that he knew about it, he couldn't help but wonder what Sonic had written in there. "What did you write in there?" He asked.

"None of your business, Shadow." Sonic pouted at him. "These are my secrets. You of all people should know what it's like to have things you don't want anyone else to know about."

Shadow gulped and nodded. Sonic opened the diary and looked through the pages, until he found a cell phone cut into one of the pages.


	6. The Diary

Chapter 6: The Diary

"He ruined my book!" Sonic pulled the cell phone out as he spoke. "I guess this means he's going to call me on it.' As if on cue, the cell phone rang. Sonic sighed and answered it. "What do you want now?" he asked.

"I see you found my gift," the killer said. "Now you and I can chat without any distractions."

Sonic looked at Shadow as he sat on the edge of the bed. "How did you know about my diary?"

"I've been keeping my eye on you."

"What do you want to chat about?" Sonic couldn't believe he was doing this.

The killer chuckled. "Don't you have any other questions for me?"

Sonic frowned. "Why are you doing this?"

"I feel like it."

The blue hedgehog sighed and looked at Shadow. "You said you had further information. What is it?" He asked the killer.

"If you want the rest of your friends to live, you have to reveal your darkest secrets."

"What?" Sonic asked. "No, I can't!"

"Why can't you?" the killer asked. "Don't you care about your friends?"

"I do...but my secrets are mine to keep!"

"Not if you want to save your friends. Which is more important?"

"If I do, though, you'll just kill them anyway!"

The killer laughed. "Now, now. You don't know that."

Sonic sighed; it looked like he had no other choice. "So, this is a confession?"

"Yes."

"All right...I'll do it."

"Good. You have until tomorrow."

The line went dead, and Sonic looked at Shadow.

"What did he say?" Shadow asked.

"I have to reveal my darkest secrets."

Shadow's eyes widened and he looked at the diary. "In there?"

Sonic nodded and grabbed the diary, looking through it. He remembered his terrible childhood, and how he was abused. "I don't want everyone to know about this..."

"Why not?"

The blue hedgehog looked at Shadow and tears came to his eyes. He knew that he could trust Shadow, so he told him. "I was abused during my childhood." Sonic looked down as the tears started falling.

"How bad?"

Sonic looked at him. The abuse had been terrifying. He gave the journal to Shadow. Shadow read through the diary, feeling more sympathy for Sonic with each page.

"This is terrible," he said. "How the hell could your parents treat you like that?"

Sonic shook his head. "I don't know. I still don't know why they did it." Shadow nodded and set the diary down. Sonic took it and hid it underneath his bed again, then stood up and paced the room. He couldn't tell anyone else. "There has to be some other dark secret I can get away with telling everyone..."

"Are there any other secrets you're keeping?" Shadow asked.

Sonic thought about it. "I don't think so," he said. "Mostly my abuse."

"Maybe he wants you to tell everyone about the abuse."

"Most likely that's it...but I can't! They can't know what I went through."

"Why not?"

"You read the diary! They can't handle that!"

"How do you know that? They might be able to."

Sonic sighed. "All right; I guess I'll tell them. have you even me my other friends, Shadow?"

"Once or twice."

"Did you talk to them?"

Shadow shook his head. "No, I didn't."

"How come?"

"Didn't see the point of it."

Sonic nodded. "All right. Well...I guess I should confess. Do you really think that the killer will keep his promise?"

Shadow shrugged. "All we can do is hope so."

The blue hedgehog nodded, took the diary, and ran off to see Tails. When he got there, he knocked on the door frantically.

Tails ran to the door and answered. "What happened? Why are you knocking so urgently?"

Sonic pushed passed him and threw him the diary. "The killer called," Sonic said. "He said...that I had to confess my darkest secrets to my friends if I wanted them to live."

Tails looked down at the diary in his hands. "I have to read this?"

Sonic's eyes filled with tears and he turned away. "I don't want anyone to read what I meant for myself. It's private...but...what should I do? I already told Shadow, but that's only because I could trust him. We've known each other since we were kids."

Tails frowned. He had heard a lot of Shadow from Sonic, but had never seen him. "When can I meet Shadow?"

"He told me that he already met you."

"I don't think I've ever seen him..." Tails looked confused. "Is he sure?"

"He's at my house," Sonic said. "Anyway...do you want to read that diary or not?"

"I have to, don't I?" Tails felt uncomfortable with having to read his friend's diary. "Let me sit down first."

Sonic hesitated and nodded then began to cry. Tails' eyes widened as he saw Sonic leave the room. Whatever was in this diary couldn't be good. He opened the diary and began to read.

"Dear Diary...my father is hitting me again. Every time I come downstairs, he yells at me at tell me that I'm a worthless fucker who shouldn't born. He's hitting me now, and I can smell the alcohol on his breath. Mother isn't doing anything to help; she never does. The abuse keeps getting worse every day. I wish I had a friend so I wouldn't be living in this hell."

Tails whimpered a little, tails curling around himself. He already didn't like it.

He flipped to another page. The diary went on. "Daddy's dragged me to my room. He put duct tape over my mouth and locked the doors and windows so I couldn't escape. The house reeks of alcohol and cigarettes. Mommy's hitting me too, cutting my quills off. I doubt they'll grow back or not. Daddy keeps yelling at me, calling me names and hitting me as well. Some of the wounds are infected and I'm feeling sick..."

"How much does the killer want me to read?" Tails yelled to Sonic. There were tears in his eyes now. He didn't want to read anymore of it.

Sonic didn't answer. Tails gulped and then flipped to the last entry.

"I found a friend, Shadow. He likes hanging out with me but I have to sneak out at night. My parents caught me and put the duct tape over my mouth, then dragged me to the shower and turned it on. I tried to escape but they locked the door. A few minutes later, gunshots were heard and I finally managed to pick the lock. Blood was everywhere and both my parents were lying face down in it. I assume they shot themselves. I'm glad they're dead...I always wanted to see them suffer the way that I did."


	7. Another Victim

Chapter 7: Another Victim

Tails trembled, setting the book down. Both tails were still curled around him as he stood.

"Sonic? Do you want to talk about it at all?"

He heard crying in the next room and walked in. Sonic was there, rocking back and forth, and looked up at Tails but only saw his drunken father. "Keep away," he said, raising his arms to protect himself. "I didn't mean it...don't hit...I'll be good...please..."

Tails bit his lower lip and looked away from the shaking hedgehog in front of him. When he looked back, he took a hesitant step toward him. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Sonic moved back, still shaking, and crying some more. Tails frowned and knelt down, comforting his friend. He had no idea that this was what the hedgehog had gone through at a young age.

"It's all right now, Sonic. They can't hurt you any more, remember?" Tails had tears of his own going down his face. "I'm here for you."

The hedgehog looked up at him, tears streaking his face. "I didn't want anyone to know..."

"I'll keep it secret. You don't have to tell anyone else, do you?"

Sonic stood up and grabbed the diary. "I have to go."

Tails stood up. "Sonic..."

Sonic looked at him again. "He said all my friends have to know. I might as well get this over with."

"But..."

"Tails, just leave me alone!" Sonic shouted, tears in his eyes, and ran out of the house, slamming the door behind him. Sonic looked around, feeling guilty for yelling at Tails. "Who should I show next?" he asked himself.

He hesitated and looked at the diary, tears streaming down his face. Sobbing, he ran back home. The door slammed behind him when he arrived back at home, running up to his room again. Shadow came in the room a few minutes later.

"What's wrong?" He asked. Sonic looked at him, crying.

"Tails read it," he cried.

Shadow frowned. "Did he say anything?"

"He said he'd keep it secret..." Sonic tried to think past his sadness to what else his friend had said. "And that he's here for me."

"Are you going to tell anyone else?"

Sonic shook his head. "I don't want to. I can't."

"But if you don't then he'll kill..." Sonic glared at his best friend. Shadow's ears went back a little. "Who do you think he's going to go after next?"

"I don't know," Sonic said.

"Maybe he'll call you again."

"Most likely he will. He said in that note that he would kill again tonight."

"All we can do now is wait, I guess."

Sonic nodded and yawned. He was getting tired, so he closed his eyes and went to sleep. Shadow smiled and left the room.

* * *

A few hours later, Tails was watching TV when the phone rang. He sighed and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Tails. What did you think of Sonic's past?"

Tails gulped. It was the killer. "It was...terrifying," the fox said. "Why are you calling me?"

"Just checking something."

"Checking what? How did you know about me reading Sonic's diary?"

"How you feel about him, of course. I saw how upset he was when you found out. It's a shame he didn't show anyone else."

Tails hesitated. "Have you been spying on us?"

"Of course I have been. How else would I know if he's following my demands or not?"

"What the hell do you want with us? Why are you doing this?"

The killer was silent for a minute, thinking over what to say to the fox. Finally, he responded. "You want a better reason than feeling like it?"

"Yes," Tails said.

"Give me a minute." The killer thought about it longer. Tails waited for an answer. "I want you all to suffer. That will push Sonic past the breaking point."

"That's terrible," Tails said.

"So? I need him like that."

"Why?"

The killer ignored that question and hung up. Tails stared at his phone before putting it down again. He looked at the television again and decided to call Sonic.

Sonic answered right away. "Hello?"

"The killer just called me, Sonic."

"What did he say?"

"First he asked me what I thought of your past. After that, I found out that he's been watching you. I know why he's doing this, Sonic. He told me it's because he wants you broken. Well, he said he needs you broken."

Sonic growled angrily and hung up. Tails stared at the phone again, this time in confusion.

"Damn it!" Sonic said, hanging the phone up. "I can't believe this!"

* * *

Glaring at his television, Tails pushed his back into the couch. There had to be something they were missing. Something that could tell them who the killer was. He walked out of the house and went to the police station to get the notes. As he was walking, the killer came out of the shadows.

"Hello, Tails," he said in a dark voice.

Tails flinched and looked over at him. His blue eyes were wide now, body trembling as he looked at the killer. The killer chuckled and moved towards him. Tails' eyes widened and he ran. The killer chuckled again, shaking his head before starting after the fox. It would be fun to play with him for a few minutes.

"You won't get away that easily," he shouted. After a few minutes of running, he finally caught up to Tails and dug the knife into his back. Tails screamed and fell to the ground as the killer stabbed again.

Tears looked back at him, screaming again. Tears were streaming down his cheeks as blood started running down his wounded back. The killer chuckled and turned Tails onto his back, then picked him up and brought him to his house. Tails whimpered as the killer crashed into Tails' house and began to kill him. After Tails was dead, blood covered the house and the killer chuckled, then began to mutilate the dead body, hanging it on the fence and impaling it. As he had with Amy, the killer stepped back to appreciate his work. Sonic would hate seeing Tails like this. He laughed insanely and ran off. As soon as he did, Sonic stopped by as he had gotten another call from the killer. His eyes widened in shock and he screamed in horror.


	8. Telling the Others

Chapter 8: Telling the Others

"Tails!" He yelled, seeing the fox's dead body impaled on the fence.

Sonic couldn't help himself. He ran over, placing his hands on the dead body of his friend. Sobbing, he looked at his friend.

"No, Tails...why you?" Sonic looked at the ground, head coming to rest on Tails's corpse. "I told you my darkest secret..."

Sonic hesitated and looked around. He couldn't stay here. "I should get the police. They can fix this." Sonic looked at Tails properly. "They'll find who did this to you."

With a sigh, he ran to the police station. The nearest police looked up when he ran into the station.

"Who do I talk to about the serial killer?" he asked. An officer pointed to the police chief. Sonic nodded and walked over to him. "I found the next victim," he said. "It was Tails."

The police chief sighed. "We'll be there soon. What else do you want to talk about?"

Sonic bit his lower lip and shook his head. "Nothing."

"Alright. "

The hedgehog sighed and walked away. Sonic pushed the door open and sighed again. Maybe he'd visit Shadow. A few minutes later, the cell phone rang. Sonic answered it, knowing who it was.

"You already killed Tails. What the hell do you want now?"

"I want to see you suffer," the killer said.

"Yeah, I got that." Sonic was growling. "Why?"

"Because I want to break you. What better way to do it then by killing your friends?"

"I don't even know you!" Sonic yelled. "Why do you want to break me so badly?"

"I told you already. Now look through your diary. I left another note."

The line went dead. Sonic stared at the phone in disgust. Shoving it back into his pocket, he returned home. Once he got there, he grabbed his diary and looked through it. Sure enough, another note lay inside.

_The clock's ticking, Sonic. You have only three days if you want to save the rest._

Sonic glared at the note. Once again, it had been signed with a 'S'. He growled angrily and looked at the note again. Who the hell was 'S'? The police would want this note as well, he was sure. Another growl came up. He sighed and called Silver.

"Yes?" Silver asked as soon as he had picked up.

"I need your help. Bring Jet, the Chaotix and Blaze. There's something that I need to tell you."

"All right. We'll be over as soon as possible. You want us to come to your house, right?"

"Yes," Sonic said as he hung up.

An hour and a half later, there was a knock on his door. Sonic sighed, and his friends walked inside.

"So...what do you want to talk about?" Silver asked.

"Do all of you know about the serial killer in town?"

"Yeah. He killed Amy."

Sonic nodded. "He killed Knuckles and Tails as well. How much about the investigation has been on the news?"

"It's been all over."

"So you know about his notes?"

"Some of them. Why?" Silver asked.

"In each of his notes, he's been telling me he plans on killing my friends. He's called me, as well."

"So what should we do?"

"I don't know." Sonic shook his head. "No one knows who he is yet, so it's going to be hard to avoid him."

They nodded. "So he's coming after us?" Blaze asked.

"Yeah. I have no idea who he's targeting next, and I'm worried about all of you."

"I'm assuming he gives you hints as to who he's going after next?" Blaze said. "If that's the case, maybe we can help you figure it out."

Sonic nodded. "I was thinking that too. He always signs his notes with an S."

"We don't know many people who have names starting with S," Silver said. "Is it someone you know, or some lunatic thinking they know you?"

"Honestly, I have no idea."

"Not even by the voice?"

"He disguises it somehow."

"Of course he does." Silver looked down. He should have known that.

The Chaotix frowned. "We'll be on the case," Espio said.

"Thank you," Sonic said. "Should I tell you everything I know?"

Espio nodded, and Sonic explained. When he was done, fear was on everyone's faces. Espio, Vector and Charmy nodded and left, as did Silver and Blaze. Sonic was alone in the house. He sighed and went upstairs, then closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Later that night, the killer was thinking of what to do next. He had heard everything while eavesdropping on Sonic and his friends. The killer smirked, wondering who he should kill next. he couldn't have the Chaotix investigating this case. The killer thought it over a few minutes longer. It wouldn't be like attacking Amy or Tails. Vector and Espio actually intimidated him, even if just a little. He had to be more careful about this. An idea came to him. He knew what to do. Silently, he walked into the detective agency. Everyone was asleep. With a startling move, he grabbed Charmy and muffled his screams, then ran out of the building. Kidnapping a child would be the perfect incentive for Espio and Vector to come looking for him. By then, the killer would be ready.


	9. Ultimatum

Chapter 9: Ultimatum

The killer made sure Charmy couldn't go anywhere before picking up his phone and dialing Silver's number. A few minutes later Silver answered.

"Who is this?"

"The killer you've heard so much about...I wanted to warn you, Silver."

"About what?" Silver asked, afraid.

"Can't you figure it out? You're the next victim." The killer laughed. "And there's nothing you can do to save yourself."

Silver's eyes widened and he hung up, then ran to Sonic's house and knocked on the door. No one answered. "Sonic!" he yelled. "I need to talk to you! Are you home?"

The door didn't open. Silver sighed and turned around as s knife went straight through his stomach. He gasped as blood surrounded the wound. Silver moved forward, curling slightly around the knife being held in his stomach. Weakly, one of his hands grasped at the killer's arm. He tried to force the arm that held the knife away from him but the killer was too strong. Grinning, the killer took out a machete and held it in front of Silver's face. Grinning madly, he decapitated the psychic hedgehog instantly. Silver's head rolled across the ground at their feet, the killer still holding Silver's body in standing position. Now he just had to decide what to do with the dead hedgehog. Hanging him somewhere would be too boring, he'd already done that twice.

The killer chuckled, then turned around and left the dead body lying there in a pool of blood. He left another note and walked back to the warehouse where Charmy was. The bee was still right where he left him, unable to move or speak. Fear was in his eyes as he looked at the killer, who laughed and grinned. He took out his knife and began to cut into Charmy's face. Blood ran down the child and tears were in his eyes.

"You will be here for a long time," the killer told him. "All that is left for me to do is to get Espio, Vector, Blaze and Sonic out of the way."

Charmy whimpered up at the killer, wishing there was something he could do for his friends. The killer chuckled, then left Charmy and closed the door to the warehouse, locking it. No one could get in, except him. With that in mind, he smirked and left.

* * *

The next morning, Vector and Espio woke up. They yawned and got out of bed.

Charmy, time to get up!" Espio said as he went into the child's room. However, he was met with a horrifying sight. Charmy wasn't there, and the room was a mess. Espio looked around just to be sure Charmy wasn't hiding before running out of the room.

"Charmy's been taken!" he nearly yelled at Vector.

"What? By who?" Vector asked.

The ninja chameleon saw a note, then picked it up and read it. _I have taken the child as a hostage. If you do not come meet me in two days, I will kill him. S._

"The killer." Espio handed the note to Vector. "It seems he's come to us, though it won't do us any good."

"We need to get the others," Espio said, and ran out of the house to Sonic's with Vector following him. Once they got there, however, Sonic and Blaze were standing outside, looking at the dead body of Silver.

"What happened?" Espio asked the blue hedgehog.

"He killed Silver..." Sonic said. "Right on my doorstep." Sonic handed the note he had found to Espio.

_Two days left, Sonic. Soon, all your friends will be dead. Nothing you can do will stop me. Silver was the first to go, and I have many more surprises in store. S._

Espio lowered the note once he had read it. "So he wants all of us dead, and thinks we can't stop him." Sonic sighed and walked inside his house as the others followed him. Minutes later, the police had come to take Silver's body away. Espio looked at him. "He took Charmy as well."

The police nodded and made a note. "Have any of you found out anything more that might help us figure out who he is?"

The detective shook his head. "No. I'm sorry, but we have no idea who he is. He always signs his notes with an S, though. Can you analyze the note's handwriting and see if there are any fingerprints? That would help."

"Of course we can." The cop nodded. "We'll let you know if we find anything."

Espio thanked him, and left. Blaze and vector did too, leaving Sonic alone in his house. A few minutes later, Shadow walked in and saw him.

"I heard about what happened," he said.

Sonic looked up at him. "I still can't figure out why someone would want to do this to me. It doesn't make any sense."

"Serial killers and other criminals are monsters. Nothing about them mskes sense."

"But they usually have some kind of reason, don't they?"

"Sometimes."

Sonic looked down at the floor. "I don't know what to do, Shads."

Shadow hugged him. "I promise you, we'll get through this."

Sonic nodded, putting his face in Shadow's chest. Shadow was the one person he knew he could trust with anything. The black hedgehog smiled back. He sighed and broke the hug.

"We'll just have to wait and see what the police can come up with. In the meantime, why don't we think of something to get your mind off it."

The blue hedgehog sighed and sat down, then turned on the TV. A report came on about the serial killer and he changed the channel. Shadow sat down beside him.

"Are there any movies on? Maybe one of them can distract you."

Sonic shrugged. He turned the TV off and looked at Shadow. "You're all I need to be distracted."

Shadow looked at him hesitantly. "What do you mean?"

"Being with you helps me forget everything else going on." Sonic gave him a smile. "It's been like that since we were kids."

"Do you remember the first time we met?"

"I think so." Sonic thought back on it.

"You were outside when I saw you. We introduced each other but I knew something was wrong. You didn't tell me what but I knew that I could trust you. After that we began to form a friendship. We were only 10 at the time," Shadow said.

Sonic smiled. "Yeah, I remember. You were always so nice to me, and never pushed me to tell you what was wrong. It didn't take long for you to become the only thing I liked about my life."

Shadow smiled. "I would never do that. We snuck out at night to see each other also."

"Yeah..." Sonic's ears went back, other memories coming back as well.

The other hedgehog noticed that. "What's wrong?"

"Talking about this is bringing back memories of my parents."

Shadow frowned. "Sorry...I didn't mean to..."

"No, it's all right. You didn't mean to remind me of them."

The hedgehog nodded. He stood up and paced the room.

"I have to go," Shadow said. "See you later."

Sonic was about to speak when Shadow left, and stared after him in confusion. He sighed and shook his head then went into his room. He hasn't been sleeping well so he went to bed.


	10. The Explosion

Chapter 10: The Explosion

Espio went to the police station to help them out. He walked up to a cop. "Did you get the prints?"

"Yes."

The detective nodded and walked up to the notes. "Whose prints were they?" He asked. The police looked at each other nervously. One of them came forward and handed Espio the report. Espio scanned the report. His eyes widened in shock. "What are you going to do?" He asked them.

"We don't know yet. It would be best to arrest him."

The chameleon nodded. "Alright."

"I don't know what will happen after we do. Would you like to come with us?"

"Sure," Espio said.

Just as they were about to leave, a massive explosion rang out through the building. The force of the bomb blast caused everyone to fall to the floor as they were caught in the heat. A few minutes later, it was over. Everyone in the building had been killed. The explosion drew attention from everyone nearby, citizens coming out of their houses to see what had happened.

Sonic and Blaze, as well as Vector, ran outside also.

"What the fuck was that?" Sonic asked.

He ran to the police station, following everyone else who was out. Once he got there, he gasped at the sight. The building had collapsed, and Espio's burned body was seen from underneath the rubble, as well as the police staff. It had to be the work of the killer. Sonic moved forward a little farther. It didn't look like anything else had survived, either.

"They're all dead," he told them. Slowly, he walked through the rubble but didn't see anything. Sonic shook his head and walked back to his friends. "Nobody's alive, and I think we just lost everything they had about the case."

"Damn it!" Vector swore.

Sonic sighed and looked back before running back home. His eyes widened when he found a note.

_The police were getting to close so I had to kill them. Now it's just you and your friends, Sonic. Meet me at the warehouse tomorrow with them, or I'll kill Charmy._

Sonic crinkled the note in his hand, snarling in anger. He yelled in anger and ran into his house, slamming the door behind him and locking it. The phone ran and he answered it. "What the hell do you want, you bastard?" He asked.

"Impressive, wasn't it?"

"The explosion? No, it wasn't."

"Why not?" The killer sounded hurt. "I thought it was. They were about to arrest me, after all."

"Whatever," Sonic said. "What do you want now?"

"Remember our deal. Come to the warehouse two days from now with all your friends."

"I will."

The line went dead. Sonic looked at the phone and sighed. In two days, he'd finally know who the killer was. Then, he could take him down himself. He smirked at the thought. It would be just like killing his parents. Sonic sighed and remembered what he had done to them. After he had picked the lock to the bathroom and left, he had gone to where he knew a gun was hidden. After grabbing them, he had followed the sound of his parents' voices. When he found them, he had shot them point blank and watched them die, then left the gun to frame them of killing themselves. Of course, everyone had believed it. Nobody suspected that their son would have done such a thing.

The reason that he had done it was because of the abuse; he just couldn't take it anymore. Afterwards, he had left with Shadow. Sonic smiled at the thought of Shadow again. He sighed and called his friend.

"Shadow, it's me," Sonic said. "Can you come over? I need to talk to you."

"Of course. I'll be there soon."

Sonic nodded and hung up. A few minutes later, Shadow walked in.

"Thanks for coming," Sonic said with a smile.

"What did you need to talk to me about?"

Sonic hesitated. "The killer blew up the police station. He also just called me and wants me and my friends to meet him at the warehouse in a few days."

Shadow nodded. "Of course it was him. Are you going?"

"Yeah, I am." Sonic hesitated, then looked at Shadow, wondering if he should tell his best friend about killing his parents.

"You're nervous about something. What is it?"

"Do you remember that diary? I wrote an entry about how my parents killed themselves. That part...was a lie. I killed them."

"Why did you lie about it in your diary?" Shadow moved over, putting his arms around Sonic.

Sonic started to cry. "I didn't want anyone to find out. What would my friends say if they found out I killed my parents when I was 10 because I couldn't take the abuse anymore?"

"They might have understood. Or they would have gotten you locked up somewhere. I think it would have depended on which friend found out."

"And what do you think?"

"If their abuse pushed you that far, they deserved it."

"Please understand, I'm not a murderer. I haven't killed anyone since then."

"I know." Shadow gave him a smile. "I never said you were one."

Sonic sighed and nodded, then hugged his best friend. Shadow hugged him back and smiled. The next two days were going to be tough for everyone.


	11. A Kidnapping

Chapter 11: A Kidnapping 

Two days later, Sonic got all of his friends together and went to the warehouse. When they arrived, they found the door open.

"He isn't here," the hedgehog said as they looked around. "Neither is Charmy. The killer tricked us."

"Do you think it was a trap?" Vector asked.

Sonic nodded. Just then, a knife went through Vector's chest. He gasped and fell to the ground, dead. Blaze and Sonic looked at him in shock, and then the killer stepped out of the shadows. Blaze backed away from him, fear coming into her eyes.

The killer walked towards them, chuckling. "Don't worry," he said. "I won't kill you or Sonic...yet."

He grabbed something and threw the dead body of Charmy out on the floor. The child's chest was torn open, and blood was caked all over his body. Blaze screamed in horror.

"How could you do that to him?" The killer chuckled and said nothing. Blaze looked around for Sonic. "Where's Sonic?"

"I saw him heading back to his house. He won't get far, though. I will let you live, for now. Tell him that I have something special planned for him."

Blaze nodded and left. She soon saw Sonic at his house. "Sonic, the killer said he has something special planned for you."

"Yeah, I heard. What the hell is it now?" He asked.

Blaze shrugged. Sonic growled and slammed the door, then looked at Shadow. "We need to be careful. The killer has something special planned for me."

"Something special?"

Sonic nodded and went into the kitchen to eat, wondering what the killer had planned. A few minutes later, he heard something from the other room.

"What the hell is that?" He yelled.

Sonic ran into the other room and gasped. The serial killer was holding Shadow, and looked at him. He grinned and left without another word. Sonic tried to follow him. Once he got outside, he looked around. They were nowhere to be seen. No normal person was that fast, especially carrying someone. Running back inside, he called Blaze, who answered.

"I need your help," Sonic told her. "The killer has just kidnapped Shadow. Can you meet me at the warehouse?"

Blaze agreed, and Sonic hung up.

"Don't worry, Shadow." Sonic ran back outside. "I won't let him kill you too."

He ran off to the warehouse, determined to save his best friend. Once he got there, he saw Shadow tied to a chair. His eyes were wide and he tried to say something, but it was too late. The killer hit Sonic on the head, and he fell to the floor, unconscious. When Blaze got there, she saw the killer and growled angrily.

"What did you do with Sonic and Shadow?" Blaze called flames to her hands. A snarl was on her face, gaze not daring to move from the killer.

"Sonic and Shadow are here," the killer said. "But first...it's time to play."

He lunged at Blaze and swung the knife at her. Blaze dodged and shot fire at the killer. He growled, rolling to the side to get the fire off of him. The killer stood once he had put the flames out, and smirked. Moving towards her, he punched Blaze rapidly, who fell to the floor as blood flew from the wounds the killer was making. She groaned and stood up, looking at the killer.

"Where are they?" She asked.

The killer said nothing and sped towards her with an astonishing speed, kicking Blaze in the stomach. However, Blaze landed on her feet and sent flames towards the killer. He screamed in pain as the flames licked at him. That was all Blaze needed. She smirked and leapt, then punched the killer, whose mask fell off at the force of the blow. When he turned to look at her, Blaze gasped in shock.

The killer was Sonic.


	12. Revelations

Chapter 12: Revelations

"Sonic! It was you all along?" Blaze asked, clearly in shock.

The killer sneered and laughed. "Sonic isn't here right now," he said. "Call me...Dark."

"Dark?"

"Of course! I am Sonic's split personality. Did he not tell you? It should have been obvious, Blaze. He was abused as a child; it's all in his diary, and he killed his own parents! After that, he created me."

"I never read his diary."

Dark chuckled and advanced on her. "You bitch. After all of the hints and clues that I gave you, you never came to the conclusion that Sonic was the killer? Are you and his other friends that dumb? Think about it: he would only talk to me on the phone, and in truth, he was talking to himself. He wrote those notes himself; he did everything himself! Well, technically, I did."

Blaze opened her mouth to say something, getting attacked again instead. Dark kicked her, following the movement forward and sitting on her midsection.

"You're gorgeous," he said with a seductive grin. "Let's fuck."

The cat tried to move but Dark wounded her again. She yelled in pain and looked at him. How could Sonic be hiding such a monster? "How could you be a part of Sonic?" Despite the wounds, Blaze struggled to get out from under him.

"You have no idea," he said. "It was because of what he went through. The abuse was terrible, so he couldn't take it. He often heard a voice in his head, me, and I influenced him. He killed his own parents at the age of ten. I lay dormant in his mind until the time was right, then took control and began to kill."

"It's shocking that someone like Sonic could have a monster like you in his mind." Blaze glared at Dark. "Despite what he went through, you need to go away. His past isn't a valid excuse for what you've been doing now."

Dark laughed. "You fool. I can't just go away. I'll always be a part of Sonic, and he'll never know."

"Whether you'll always be a part of him or not, you can't keep killing people. Eventually, they'll find out it was Sonic. When they do, they'll lock him up somewhere."

"They won't be able to keep him in there, you know."

"Because of you?" Blaze glanced down at his hands, hoping their conversation kept him interested in something other than hurting her.

Dark laughed and closed his eyes. A dark aura surrounded him, and he glared at Blaze. "You have no idea the kinds of powers I have." Blaze felt herself starting to shake as she summoned flames again. "You think those will stop me?" Dark asked. He vanished, kicking Blaze in the back. She flew across the room and landed on the floor, then stood up and glared at Sonic's alter ego.

"I have to try at least."

The alter ego laughed again and lunged at her as Blaze summoned her flames, throwing them at Dark. Dark used his own powers, throwing them at her flames to counter them. The energy ball he threw at her exploded, and sent her flying back. She hit her head on the wall and groaned. Dark chuckled and walked up to her. Disoriented, Blaze tried to get up. Dark laughed and grabbed her, kicking Blaze in the stomach repeatedly. Blaze tried to retaliate, only getting dropped on the ground again as she still couldn't focus well enough to do anything.

She looked at Dark, wondering what he would do. The killer chuckled and stabbed her in the stomach. Blood instantly started pooling around the wound as he pulled the knife away. He laughed at her pathetic attempts to stop him. Sion, she would be dead like the others. Dark looked down at her, watching. As soon as she lost consciousness, he started helping her. He didn't want her to die just yet. An idea came to him and he chuckled, then began to rape her. When he was done, he looked down at her. Dark chuckled and picked her up, then carried her into another room, strapping Blaze to a chair and putting duct tape over her mouth. It was a little over an hour before she woke.

Blaze was surprised when she found herself still alive. Everything hurt, and she soon found that she couldn't speak or move well.

Dark walked towards her, a gleam in his eyes. "I see you're awake," he said with a smirk. "You'll give birth soon, Blaze. I promise you that."

The cat's eyes widened in fear. She shook her head, not wanting to believe what he had said.

"That's right...I raped you. You will be carrying my child soon. And if you even think of aborting it, I will swear to make your life hell."

Blaze nodded, tears gathering in her eyes. Dark chuckled and walked over to her, ripping the duct tape off of her mouth. She screamed and glared at him.

"How could you do such a thing?" She asked.

Dark laughed. "I told you that I wanted you to. You're the one who made it have to be rape."

"I did nothing of the sort!" Blaze screamed. "You raped me while I was unconscious! Now tell me again, where is Shadow? Sonic said that you kidnapped him."

"He's in another room," he told her. "Don't worry, he's fine."

Blaze nodded, and looked at Dark. "What are you going to do?"

Dark smirked. He had had enough fun for now. Closing his eyes, he gave Sonic back control, who groaned and fell to the floor. Sonic shook his head and got back up. Looking around, his eyes widened when he saw the state Blaze was in.

"What happened?"

"Sonic...you...you have an alter ego. He...you...are the killer."

The blue hedgehog's eyes widened in shock. He ran over to Blaze and untied her. "I'm so sorry, Blaze." Sonic kept her steady as she stood. "Did I do what I think I did?"

"You...raped me, Sonic. You also killed your friends."

Sonic gasped and tears came to his eyes. Then he looked around, remembering that Shadow was here also. But how could he have seen the killer if he was the killer? "If I'm the killer...how did I kidnap Shadow?"

"Dark took control of your body and kidnapped him, most likely," Blaze said. "You could have been hallucinating that you saw the killer also, and was talking to yourself when you got the phone calls."

"I suppose so." Sonic looked at the floor. "I'm really sorry, Blaze."

Blaze looked at him. "I'm going to have to take you to jail," she said. "For now, though, let's get Shadow."

Sonic nodded and ran into the other room. He saw Shadow tied up to a chair and smiled. "He's here," Sonic told Blaze. "Help me get him untied."

The cat looked at him and frowned. "No one's in here, Sonic."

"What?" Sonic asked. He looked at Blaze. "No, Shadow's sitting in the chair! Don't you see him?"

He turned to look at Shadow, who was looking at Sonic as he was being untied. Sonic frowned and untied Shadow, who stood up and hugged Sonic. Blaze frowned as she saw Sonic hugging then air, and then figured it out. She cleared her throat and spoke.

"Sonic...Shadow isn't real."


	13. The Insane Asylum

Chapter 13: The Insane Asylum

"Shadow isn't really here, Sonic. He's just someone your mind probably made up as a result of your childhood," Blaze told him.

Sonic froze. He looked at Shadow, and then turned to Blaze. "How can you say that?" He asked.

"Because I can't see him."

"No.." Sonic said. He backed away, shaking his head. "I don't believe that, Blaze. You're lying! Shadow is here, I can see him!" He looked at his childhood friend. "I can see you. You're real, right?"

Shadow smiled. "Of course I'm real."

Sonic looked at Blaze. "He's real, Blaze. He told me that."

"Sonic, he told you that because that was what you wanted to hear from him."

"What?" Sonic said. He shook his head. "Blaze...why are you doing this?"

"Because I care about you, Sonic. The abuse clearly had more of an affect on you than anyone had realized."

Sonic growled angrily. "You don't know what I went through."

"No, I don't." Blaze shook her head. "But that doesn't change the fact that Shadow doesn't really exist."

"He does exist!" Sonic yelled. "He's right here next to me!"

Shadow looked at him and spoke. "She isn't going to believe you, Sonic."

Sonic growled angrily. He walked up to Blaze and shouted at her. "He is real! Don't say he isn't! You stupid, fucking lying bitch!"

He backed away and fell down, shaking and repeating the words over and over. Blaze shifted uncomfortably, unsure of what to do now. She had to get Sonic to an insane asylum. He wasn't well.

Blaze went over, gently laying a hand on Sonic. "Come with me, Sonic. You need help."

Sonic hesitated and stood up. He looked at Shadow and they followed Blaze.

"What's she going to do to you?" Shadow asked.

"I don't know," Sonic said.

Blaze looked at him and sighed. Sonic was talking to thin air. Once they were out of the warehouse, Blaze led Sonic back home. As he was now, she didn't have to worry about him hurting her.

"What are you going to do?" Sonic asked her.

"I'm going to call someone who can hopefully help you."

Sonic nodded as Blaze dialed the asylum. A few minutes later some people came in and took Sonic away. Blaze sighed and sat down, thinking over everything that had just happened. Tears came to her eyes. She saw the diary sitting on the table, then picked it up and began to read. As she read further into the diary, Blaze started feeling even more sympathy for the hedgehog. She put the diary down and walked out of the house.

Meanwhile, Sonic had been checked in to the asylum. The doctors brought him to his room, leaving him in there while they decided how to treat him. Sonic hesitated and looked around.

"Where am I?" He asked Shadow.

"I believe you are in an asylum."

"Why?"

"Because Blaze thinks you need to be here, and the authority figures agreed with her."

"But I'm not insane. I have a split personality, but...Blaze said that you aren't real, that I am imagining you," Sonic said.

Shadow took Sonic's face in his hands. "I'm real, Sonic. I always will be."

"But...what if Blaze is right, and you are just a figment of my imagination?" Sonic asked.

Shadow backed away a few steps. "That's nonsense, Sonic. Why would you even say that to me?"

Sonic shook his head. "I was just asking..."

The doctors outside his cell were watching him. They frowned as Sonic spoke to nothing.

"What should we do?" One asked.

"Treat him for schizophrenia, maybe."

They nodded and walked inside. Sonic stopped talking to Shadow, and looked at them. "What is it?" He asked.

"We're going to take you in for some tests. We need to find out what exactly is wrong with you."

Sonic hesitated and nodded, then stood up. The doctors led him to a room and sat him on a table, strapping some equipment to his body. "We're just going to ask you some questions, and this machine will monitor your brain activity so we can see what's wrong with you," a doctor said.

Sonic sighed. "Alright. Shoot."

The doctor thought about what to ask first. "What happened during your childhood?"

Sonic hesitated. "I was abused."

"How badly?"

Sonic hesitated. Then he saw his diary and pushed it towards the doctor. "You have my diary. Why don't you read it and find out?"

The doctor nodded and read the diary. After he did, he sighed and set the book down.

"What you went through was terrible, Sonic. Could you tell me how you feel about it now, after all these years have passed?"

Sonic hesitated. Tears came to his eyes and he sobbed. "I feel mad that my parents would do that to me. I couldn't take the abuse anymore, so I killed them."

The doctor nodded. "What about your friends?"

"I never told anyone except for Tails and Shadow."

"No, I mean how do you feel about your friends?"

Sonic smiled. "They are...were...good friends. I assume you know about the killer?"

"Yes." The doctor nodded. "Blaze told us all about it."

The hedgehog looked away. "I...I had no idea."

"Most people aren't aware of what a split personality does while it's in charge," the doctor said.

"But what could have caused my split persona?"

"Your abuse."

Sonic nodded and sighed. He looked at the doctor. "When I was a kid, I would hear this voice in my head. It would tell me all kinds of things. I still hear it sometimes."

The doctor frowned and took some notes. "Was there ever anything else that told you he was there?" The hedgehog thought about it, and then shook his head. The doctor wrote that down as well. "Tell me about your friend, Shadow," he said.

"What about him?"

"How you met him...created him. Shadow isn't real, Sonic. He's not even an imaginary friend."

Sonic hesitated. "What are you saying, doc?"

"He's a schizophrenic hallucination, Sonic. You wanted a friend, so your mind gave you one."

Sonic's eyes widened and he shook his head. "That's not true. I met Shadow when I was a kid. He's not made up."

"Even children can make delusions, Sonic."

"He's not a delusion! I'm not insane!"

The doctor sighed. "Actually Sonic...you are insane. We've diagnosed you with schizophrenia, multiple personality disorder, and mental illness."

Sonic shook his head. "No. Shadow's real!"

The doctor sighed. What was he going to do? "I'll see you later, Sonic. You can return to your room now."

Sonic nodded and walked away.


	14. A Talk With Dark

Chapter 14: A Talk With Dark

Once he was back in his cell, he looked around for Shadow. A few minutes later, he saw the other hedgehog.

"What did the doctor say?" Shadow asked.

"That I'm insane, and I created you when I was a kid because of the abuse I was going through."

Shadow sighed and shook his head. "I hate to admit it, but you are insane. I don't mean any offense."

The other hedgehog nodded. "None taken."

"You don't think they'll try to make me leave, do you?" Shadow asked.

Sonic looked at him. "Wh...what do you mean, Shads?"

"I mean, if I really am just some delusion, won't they try to get rid of me?"

"Shadow...I don't know. If I did create you, you won't go away unless I want you to. But I'm not saying you are. You're real, I believe you are."

"Thanks, Sonic." Shadow smiled, going over and put his arms around Sonic. "That mean's a lot to me."

Sonic smiled and hugged him back, then looked around and sighed. How long was he going to be here? Shadow sat next to him and looked around as well. "I'm sure they'll tell you how long you're going to be locked up here."

The hedgehog nodded. he then clutched his head in pain and heard a voice speaking to him.

_They'll keep you here your entire life._

"What...?" Sonic asked, looking at Shadow. "Did you say that?" Shadow shook his head. Then Sonic groaned. It had to be his split personality. "Go away, Dark." Sonic said. "You've caused enough problems."

_I'll never leave,_ Dark said. _I'm part of you, just as Shadow is._

"I don't need to hear you right now." Sonic shook his head.

_You'll always hear from me._

Sonic whimpered and moved closer to Shadow. Now that he knew what the voice was, he didn't want to listen.

"Sonic, what's wrong?" Shadow asked. The hedgehog hesitated and began to write on the wall. Shadow frowned, concerned. "Sonic, what are you doing?" Shadow looked at what Sonic was writing.

The hedgehog said nothing and continued to write, fingernails scratching at the wall. Shadow hesitated, grabbing Sonic's hands. His eyes widened at what Sonic wrote. Everything had to do with dying.

"Sonic...what...why the hell would you write all that stuff?" Shadow asked. he was deeply concerned for his friend now.

Sonic looked at him. "Because it's true. If I stay here, the doctors are going to kill me."

"Why would they do that?"

"They'll take away what makes me who I am." Sonic shook his head. Dark was talking to him again.

"What do you mean by that, Sonic?" Shadow asked.

"They're doctors, Shadow. They'll mess with my head until I'm not myself anymore."

"Sonic...this is a mental hospital. They're supposed to help you."

"I know. I just...I don't want them to. Not completely."

Shadow frowned. "Has Dark been talking to you? Why don't you want help?"

"I just said I don't ant all of it to go away. I don't want to lose you. Dark said that if they fix me, you won't be here anymore. I won't have anything left."

"I promise you, Sonic, I won't leave you. Even if I am a schizophrenic hallucination, I wont leave unless you want me to."

Sonic nodded. "Do you...think...they are right? About you not being real and I'm just imagining you?"

"They might be." Shadow lay a hand on Sonic's face. "It would make sense. No one else seems to be able to see me."

"Then...I guess Blaze and the others are right after all. I don't care if you're someone I made up, Shads. You're real to me, and always will be."

Shadow leaned forward and gave Sonic a kiss. Sonic smiled and kissed him as well. Shadow felt a strange sensation in his body and saw that he was fading. Sonic frowned. "What's going on?" he asked.

"I don't know." Shadow looked around.

His eyes widened as he saw that his body was becoming transparent. Sonic gasped. "S...Shadow...don't leave...why...?"

"I don't know what's going on... I don't want to leave."

Sonic hesitated and looked at Shadow. "I'll call you when I need you," he said.

Shadow nodded and finished vanishing. The blue hedgehog hesitated. He looked around and felt a presence in his mind.

"Is that you, Dark?" he asked.

_It is,_ Dark said. _Poor Sonic. Now his only friend is gone. What will you do now?_

"He'll come back again," Sonic said. "I'll just stay here and wait for him."

_Why do you think he disappeared?_

"Because..." Sonic didn't know what to say.

_Because you said that he wasn't real?_ Dark asked.

"No! I think he's real."

_If he is real, why did he vanish?_

Sonic whimpered. "Because...because..."

_Because why? If you know the answer, then tell me,_ Dark said.

"I don't know..."

His split personality laughed. _I'll tell you why, Sonic. It's because Shadow isn't real. he's a part of your mind, a hallucination you created when you were a child._

"The doctors already told me that. But if that's true, then he should stay as long as I want him to."

_Indeed. But he's not here anymore, is he?_

"Well, no." Sonic looked around the room, despite not being able to see Dark. "He's left before, and come back later."

_But he's never faded like that, has he?_ Dark asked, curious.

"No." Sonic shook his head.

_Then perhaps, by acknowledging that he doesn't really exist, have wiped him from your mind._

Sonic hesitated. That did make sense. "But, I still need him. How can I get him back?"

_A part of him is still in your mind. Just call on him and he'll appear._

The blue hedgehog nodded and sighed. he stood up and looked out the cell door, knowing he would spend the rest of his life in here. A few minutes later, the doctor came in and put handcuffs on him.

"We need to take you to your trial," he told Sonic.

Sonic nodded and left with the doctor.


	15. The Trial

Chapter 15: The Trial

When he got to the courthouse, he sat down. The judge looked at him.

"Sonic the Hedgehog, you have been accused of first-degree murder. How do you plead?"

"Guilty," Sonic said.

The judge nodded, and Blaze came up to the stand. Sonic's eyes widened; he had no idea Blaze would be here. He had no lawyers, and no one to counter her claims.

"Tell us what happened," the judge said.

Blaze nodded. "It started a week ago. A killer called Sonic and killed his friends. When I confronted him, I found out that the killer was Sonic...a split personality known as Dark. He tried to kill me...and...raped me as well."

The judge looked at Sonic. "Is this true?"

Sonic hesitated and then hung his head. "Y...yes. It is true. All of it."

The judge looked around at everyone in the courthouse. He looked at Blaze again. "Is there anything else you'd like to add?"

Blaze hesitated and gave the judge Sonic's diary, who opened it and read it, along with the killer's notes. Sonic glared at Blaze for giving the judge his private diary, but he knew it would be evidence in the case. Blaze looked at Sonic in slight apology as the judge read. When the judge was done, they set the diary down in front of them.

"The handwriting on the notes and your diary are the same," he told Sonic.

Sonic nodded. "I know."

The judge sighed and handed Sonic his diary and the notes. Sonic smiled and then clutched his head in pain. A menacing laugh came from him and he grinned evilly, then spoke.

"I'm the one you're looking for," Dark said. "It was fun killing them." He smiled at Blaze.

"You are Sonic's split personality?" The judge asked, shocked.

Dark nodded. Despite being a split persona, he was still Sonic. "Yes. What else would I be?"

"Why did you kill those people? What was your motive?"

"I wanted to break Sonic. I need him that way."

The judge nodded as Dark gave Sonic back control. He looked at the hedgehog and made up his mind. "I find you guilty of murder, and hereby sentence you to life in prison," he said.

Sonic nodded and was handcuffed again as the guards took him away. He looked at Blaze sadly. Blaze looked away from Sonic. The hedgehog sighed and was led to a police car. Sonic got in and looked out the window. A tear ran down his face as he thought about everything that had happened in the past week. All of his friends were dead now. Blaze probably hated him. Sonic sighed and looked at the floor of the car. The tears continued to fall and he frowned.

"Shadow...I need you," he said.

A few minutes later, he heard the hallucination's voice. "What is it, Sonic?"

Sonic looked around and saw Shadow sitting beside him. "What will happen to me now?"

"You'll be stuck in a cell with doctors trying to fix you for the rest of your life."

The blue hedgehog whimpered. "I'm a criminal now, Shads. My reputation has been tarnished, thanks to my split personality."

He felt the car stop as they reached the prison. Shadow looked at him in sympathy. "My opinion of you hasn't changed."

"You still like me?"

Shadow nodded. The police brought Sonic out of the car and led him into the prison. Sonic looked around as he was led to his cell. Shadow was right at his side the entire time. Many other criminals looked at him as he passed by. Sonic was given a prison uniform. He sighed and put it on as the police snapped his mug shot, and was then put into his cell.

Sonic looked around himself, frowning. The cell was what he expected it to be: a hard bed, toilet, and no windows of any sort. The only door he had come in was locked so he couldn't escape. Sonic sighed and sat on his bed, looking at Shadow. The black hedgehog sat down beside him.

"I hate this," Sonic said. "I'll be here for the rest of my life. No more freedom."

"You'll still have me." Shadow smiled. "Nobody can take me away from you."

"Thanks."

"How are you going to pass the time in here?" Shadow looked around as he asked.

"There isn't much to do in a prison," Sonic told him. "I'll just walk around my cell, I guess."

Shadow nodded and sighed. "How often do you want me to come?"

"As often as you want to, Shads."

"All right. Want to talk about something while you've got nothing to do?"

"Sure, we can do that."

Shadow nodded and gave Sonic a smile. The criminal sighed, and then stood up. He would have to adjust to his prison life, and knew that things would never be the same.


End file.
